Terms & concepts

1. Agricultural Technologies:
1. ex. synthetically modified seeds
2. Tools and machinery used to primarily or entirely support agricultural enterprise.
Ex: Plows, irrigation, threshers, etc
b. Permaculture
1. the development of agricultural ecosystems intended to be sustainable and selfsufficient. Renews natural resources and enriches local ecosystems. Works w/
natural landscape and local ecosystem.
2. Permaculture is also a term applied to a creative design process based on
whole-systems thinking that uses ethics and design principles. It mimics the
patterns and relationships found in nature and can be applied to all aspects of
human habitation, from agriculture to ecological building, from appropriate
technology to education and even economics.
b. Planned obsolescence 1. A product that becomes obsolete or nonfunctional after a certain period or
amount of use in a way that is planned or designed by the manufacturer so you
need to purchase/upgrade again.
b. Artifacts with politics: Do artifacts have politics? 9/30
1. the idea that objects/technology can be judged not only for their use and
environmental impact, but also the way they can embody power and authority.
(http://innovate.ucsb.edu/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/Winner-Do-Artifacts-HavePolitics-1980.pdf)
1. (ex: solar vs nuclear power & objects involved promote certain power
structures, nuclear promotes authoritarianism?
ii.
Eli Whitney- Cotton Gin, cleaned fibers from cotton seeds at a rate much greater
than what could be done by hand, and thus made growing cotton on a big scale
more profitable. This is turn drove an economic dependence on slavery. Cotton
gin is an example of this.
iii.
Theory of technological politics draws attention to the momentum of large-scale
sociotechnical systems, to the response of modern societies to certain
technological imperatives and to common signs of the adaption to human ends to
technical means
b. Automobility:
i.
the ability of any individual to go where they want when they want, usually in an
automobile.
b. Biofuels (including oil production by algae): Biofuels and Sustainability 11/16
i.
A type of fuel produced by biological agriculture from both land and sea. Oil
produced from algae, does not entail a decrease in food production, since it
requires neither farmland nor fresh water as they can be grown on algae ponds
at wastewater treatment plants.
ii.
Form of renewable fuel that is derived from biomass (plants, animals, or
microorganisms), grown and converted sustainably
7. California State Water Project: (California Water Distribution System 10/26)
a. Largest state-built multipurpose water project in the United States; more than
two-thirds of Californians receive some water from the SWP; 29 dams, 18
plumping plants, five hydroelectric power plants and about 600 miles of canals
and pipelines. SWP collects water in rivers from Northern California and

redistributes 70% of the water to urban areas and industries down to SF bay
area, Southern California and 30% for irrigation use in the Central Valley.
b. Largest publicly built and operated water and power development and
conveyance system of any country, provides drinking water and electricity
c. Largest energy user in CA
8. Capacity (and environmental disasters)
a. The combination of all the strengths, attributes and resources available within a
community, society or organization that can be used to achieve agreed goals.
*Comment: Disasters are often described as a result of the combination of: the exposure
to a hazard; the conditions of vulnerability that are present; and insufficient capacity or
measures to reduce or cope with the potential negative consequences.

9. Carbon emissionsa. the production and discharge of carbon (CO2) contributing to your carbon
footprint
b. The total amount of GHGs produced directly or indirectly to support human
activities
10. Carbon footprint a. the total sets of greenhouse gas (GHGs)emissions caused by an organization,
event, product, or individual which quantifies the amount of energy used and
GHGs emitted for a given product of activity, measured in units of CO2
11. Carbon neutral a. when the net greenhouse gas emissions of an organism or a product is equal to
zero in the atmosphere, can be achieved by reducing emissions and then
purchasing and retiring carbon offsets to match the remaining emissions.
11. Carsharing: (Carsharing 11/6)
a. the anytime easy access to short-term use of an automobile (Week 6)
b. Lowers the amount of vehicles owned by members, can deter carless
households form even getting a vehicle. Benefits of personal automobility without
the costs of ownership to a private vehicle
c. Give members access to vehicles at a reservation and are charged by time or by
mile
11. CO2 equivalency a. a measure used to compare the emissions from various greenhouse gases
based upon their global warming potential
11. Coltan(Columbite-tantalite): Lab 7
a. a naturally occurring metallic ore from which valuable tantalum is extracted for a
variety of uses. Primary use is for capacitors in electronic circuits as its high
capacitance property allows the storage and instantaneous release of electric
charge with minor power loss.
b. It is in demand by the defense, aviation and medical technology industries for its
resistance to extreme heat and chemical corrosion, hardness and ductility
c. Blood Coltan= interconnectedness with civil war in the DRC
d. Environmental Impacts: deforestation(clearing trees to make spaces for camps,
reinforcing mine shafts, making mining tools,and firewood), impact on freshwater
ecosystems(washing ores pollute streams, harming organisms),

11.

11.
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11.

11.

11.

11.

Biodiversity(Gorillas hunted for meat to feed miners, animals harmed from mining
sewage, loss of keystone species)
Commuting criminal myth: (Myth of Community Criminal 11/6)
a. the myth that transit stops attract crime; for people it is a real fear (fear of
crime), so it is important for transit planners to consider when determining where
to put new transit locations, before it comes up unexpectedly in community
meetings
b. Criminals ride transit if a new train or bus stop comes to your neighborhood,
you can expect an upsurge in criminals and the dangers
i.
criminals gaining access to new neighborhoods and new hotspots on new
victims
Consumption:
a. The using up of goods and services.
Cradle-to-grave approach: Lab 3
a. A life-cycle analysis assessment (LCA) identifies opportunities for improvement
by quantifying the impacts a product has on the environment throughout if full
lifecycle from raw materials(cradle), production, manufacturing to disposal
(grave)
b. **Examines properties of a product: Carbon use, GHG emissions toxics used or
released, time to energy payback
Dead zones a. usually associated with eutrophication of waterways, when nitrogen rich fertilizers
runoff into the water and promote algal blooms that then use up oxygen and kill
off all living organisms in that area
b. Hypoxic zones: areas in the ocean with low oxygen concentration that animal life
suffocated and dies, creating a dead zone. Excess nutrients that run off land or
are piped as wastewater into rivers and coasts stimulating the overgrowth of
algae, to sink and decompose in water. Decomposition consumes oxygen and
depletes the supply to sustain healthy marine life
Desalination: (SCMU: Our current water resource challenges 10/26)
a. the process of removing the salt from seawater, which turns the water into a
domestic water supply
b. Water supply alternative, concluded desalinated seawater with conservation and
water-use restrictions + the drought, would provide reliable and flexible water
supply to meet long-term needs
Designing for sustainability: (The built environment: Sustainable Campus planning 12/4)
a. Freedom to consider things that arent realistic at the moment but with the right
help could
b. Asking ourselves how life should be functioning in a healthy way. When
renovating a building, the building could be the point of reenergizing a campus
and community around it to be more sustainable.
c. Focuses on the NINE elements: energy, food, materials, governance, investment,
wellness curriculum, aesthetics and interpretations
d. Must determine the values and principles before deciding what activities are
perennial to the project and how to get the community engaged
e. Moving beyond existing infrastructure and building on proponents they do not
have to make better infrastructural decisions
f. Integrate management of resources? Energy, waste, water, transportation? Need
to understand how each works moving into how to measure those and what is
required to indicate success
Diversion weight: (The Zero Waste Index 11/25)

a. percentage of total waste that is diverted from disposal at permitted landfills and
transformation facilities such as incineration and is instead directed to reduction,
reuse, recycling and composting programs
b. Key indicator used by municipalities to measure the performance of waste
management
c. Formula: (Weight of recyclables/ weight of garbage+weight of recyclables)
x100%
11. Ecological macro-economics:
a. aims to improve and expand economics to include earths natural systems,
human values and human health and well-being.
b. A transdisciplinary and interdisciplinary field of academic research that aims to
address the interdependence and coevolution of human economics and natural
ecosystems over time and space. It does this by taking a broader and wider
perspective on macro markets.
23. Ecological modernization: Ecological modernization 11/9
a. an optimistic school of thought in the social sciences that argues that the
economy benefits from moves toward environmentalism. Favored by business
interests because they seemingly meet the triple bottom line of economics,
society and environment that is held underpin sustainability, yet do not challenge
free market principles.
b. This is a very non impactful, not binded way to think about environmentalism
c. Focuses on existing and programmed environmental reforms in social practices,
institutional designs and societal and policy discourse to safeguard societies
sustenance bases
24. El Nio Southern Oscillation:
a. a periodical (happens during the winter) climate change caused by variations in
sea surface temperatures over the tropical eastern Pacific Ocean, affecting much
of the tropics and subtropics. The unusual warming phase is known as El Nio
and the cooling phase as La Nia.
b. El Nino is characterized by the unusually warm temperatures and La Nina by
unusually cool temperatures in the equatorial Pacific
24. Emergent property:
a. a property which a collection or complex system has, but which the individual
members do not have. A failure to realize that a property is emergent, or
supervenient, leads to the fallacy of division.++
24. Energy:
a. capacity to do work
24. Energy conservation:
a. reducing energy through using less of an energy service.
24. Energy density: Lab 6
a. its the amount of energy stored in a given system or region of space per unit
volume or mass.
b. Amount of stored energy in a fuel source, as in how much energy you get per
unit or per unit volume
c. Important for understanding why were so dependent on our current fuel sources,
esp for mobility and how to focus our efforts on alternatives
24. Energy efficiency:

a. the amount of usable energy one receives compared to how much energy is put
in. I.E. Solar panels get 10-20% efficiency; meaning they give 10-20% of the
energy that hits them to power the house, etc.
24. Energy subsidy:
a. measures that keep prices for consumers below market levels or for

producers above market levels, or reduce costs for consumers and

producers.
24. Energy return on investment: Nine Challenges to Alternative Energy 11/16
a. The amount of money and energy saved for switching our amount consumed
through technological advances. i.e Solar panels
b. Consuming energy to produce energy is unavoidable, but only that which is not
consumed is produced for energy to sustain our industrial, transport, residential
commercial, agricultural and military activities
i.
Ratio of the amount of energy produced is the EROI
ii.
Most alternative energy sources have low EROI values because of high
energy-input requirements, biofuels produce very little or no energy
surplus
iii.
High EROI is not sufficient to ensure that the structure of modern society
and economies can be maintained but is a prereq. But EROI is not well
understood but creates insights
c. Enormous investment in resources and energy that any alternative energy
pathways will require, to look beyond simple economic payback, mainly in the
future of rising energy prices, declining fossil-fuel resources and increasing
danger in climate catastrophe
32. Fast fashion: Sustainable Fashion consumption & Fast fashion conundrum 11/18
a. clothes that are trendy that are made fast and cheap. This causes the article of
clothing to not last long i.e. obsolescence. There are many social (labor is cheap
and conditions are bad) and environmental costs (synthetic fibers, mass
production and short life) attached to these trends
b. Changing consumer attitudes linked to low-cost production and sourcing of
materials from overseas industrial markets has led to a culture of impulse buying
in the fashion industry, where new styles of clothing are available to the average
consumer every week.
32. Flows
a. a quantity measured over an interval of time (roughly analogous to rate)
b. A throughput of energy and matter within a system at certain rates, and outputs
into the environment(biofuels= plants create energy, energy is harvested from
plant material)
c. A variable measured over an interval of time
32. Food desert (especially urban):
a. an area where affordable healthy food is difficult to obtain, particularly for those
without access to an automobile. There is often a common link between lower
class communities and food deserts.
b. Any area in the industrialized world where healthy, affordable food is difficult to
obtain
32. Food miles: Lab 4
a. The distance travelled by meat, produce, and any other food product from the
original place of production to the consumers household, and everywhere in

between. Takes into consideration every aspect of food production, from

manufacturing, packaging, etc.
b. Concept has been widely embraced to encourage consumers to reduce carbon
emissions by purchasing food grown closer to where they live with additional
benefits like supporting small farmer livelihoods and local agrobiodiversity
32. Food security - Global Water crisis & future food security 10/21
a. the state and ability of having reliable access to a sufficient quantity of affordable,
nutritious food
32. Food waste: Life Cycle-based sustainability indicators for US food 11/13
a. is food that is discarded or lost or uneaten. The causes of food waste or loss are
numerous, and occur at the stages of production, processing, retailing and
consumption.
b. Food waste is the loss of food that was recoverable for human consumption.
c. Could be added to compost but is characterized by low levels of recovery,
second largest single source of discards in municipal solid waste stream
32. Fossil fuels
a. compressed organic matter. Fossil fuels have the highest density of energy (the
most efficient type of energy, the least renewable). They are unsustainable
because the reservoir from which they were in will not be replenished, displacing
all that C.
32. Fossil water:
a. water in the ground especially in aquifers. Water that has been there for a long
time. almost sealed despite the changing geology, because of this the water may
not be replenishable
32. Green building: Building the Green Way 10/14
a. a structure and using process that is environmentally responsible and resourceefficient throughout a building's life-cycle: from location to design, construction,
operation, maintenance, renovation, and demolition
b. Designing, building and operative homes to use materials, energy and water
more efficiently
32. Green consumerism:
a. relies on supply of environmentally-friendly good to meet a demand for them
b. Often taking the form of voting with your dollar, where a consumer expresses
their interest of having eco-friendly products by purchasing eco-friendly products
over environmentally damaging products
32. Green Revolution:
a. refers to a series of research, development, and technology transfer initiatives,
occurring between the 1940s and the late 1960s, that increased agricultural
production worldwide, particularly in the developing world, beginning most
markedly in the late 1960s
b. Norman Borlaug is said to be the father of the green revolution with his research
in mexico and the production of higher yielding crops.
c. A shift in agricultural practices in the 20th century that included new management
techniques, mechanization, fertilization, irrigation and improved crop varieties
and resulted in increased food output
32. Green roofs: Lab 8
a. roofs covered in biomass to reduce stormwater runoff, insulation costs, and
carbon footprint.
b. Green roof are part of reimagining the space to combine old technology with
material advances and ecological knowledge, providing a range of benefits:

Carbon capture, increased stormwater retention, and reducing heat transfer into
and out of buildings
32. Green water: Green blue and grey water footprints 10/28
a. water from rainfall
32. Grey water - Green blue and grey water footprints 10/28
a. relatively clean household wastewater from baths, sinks, washing machines, and
other kitchen appliances. not suitable for human consumption
32. Habitus: Sustainability as a social project, Quiz 1
a. Habitus is ones physical and psychological demeanor as a result of habits
developed over a period of time
b. Internalized and repeated practices that everyone in society engages in and
believes to be normal
i.
custom of looking straight ahead and making no eye contact or small talk
in elevators
ii.
Can be changed, but change does not come quickly or easily. Can be
transformed over time both the hardware people use in everyday practice
and software of how and why practices are performed everyday
32. Hetch Hetchy Aqueduct: The California water distribution system 10/26
a. Brings Tuolumne River water to 2.3 million people in the San Francisco Bay Area
b. of the water is sold to 26 other cities and water districts of San Mateo, Santa
Clara and Alameda Counties
c. Generates electricity a major revenue to San Francisco, passing through tunnels
leading down to a series of powerhouses
d. Gravity fed through a 25 mile long tunnel, goes directly into city pipelines and
doesn't need to be filtered as it exceeds water quality standards(disinfected with
chlorine)
32. Horizontal integration in the food system:
a. The process of merging similar industries, industries that produce similar
products. Horizontal integration would include tactics like buying competing
companies that produce the same goods as you do.
b. Production of different varieties of the same product, or different products at the
same level of processing, within a single firm
c. Absorption into a single firm of several firms involved in the same level of
production and sharing resources at that level. Contributes to a single firm
owning a monopoly on the resource or supply (Ex four meat corporations
produce all the meat in the US)
32. Hypermobility: Hyperautomobility 11/2
a. Hypermobile travelers are "highly mobile individuals" who take "frequent trips, often
over great distances." High level of individualize car use
b. is a basis of social inclusion for the many people who do not drive
c. Associated with social organizations of settlement space characterized by
geographically expansive sprawl
d. 1980: mass suburbanization, auto-center transport into hyper automobility
32. Industrialized food system: The food and farming transition
a. this system was born out of the green revolution it is the mass production of food.
This system requires a lot of pesticides and synthetic fertilizers for it to be
successful (fast to produce, high yielding for producers and cheap for
consumers)
b. Food system has become more articulated and more centralized. Farmers make
up a smaller proportion of the population and work larger parcels of land. Selling

their harvest to a distributor or processor, who sells the packaged food products
to a wholesaler, who in turn sells these products to chains of supermarkets
c. Industrial food production and distribution are easy to see: delivers products that
are cheaper and more abundant, but has lower food quality
32. Institutions a. a society or organization founded for a religious, educational, social, or similar
purpose
b. Theory focuses on developing a sociological view of institutions, or the way they
interact and affect society. Provides a way of viewing institutions outside the
traditional views of economics by explaining why so many businesses end up
having the same organizational structure even though involved in different way
and how institutions shape behavior of individual members
32. Intermittency of energy sources a. Alternative energy sources like wind, solar, and biomass-based fuels are
intermittent (meaning it comes sporadically). Wind does not always blow, sun
does not always shine, and biomass-based fuels depends on seasonal harvests
of crops.
b. Source of energy that is not continuous available
32. Internalization (of costs of degradation of natural resources)
a. the idea that businesses should have to pay for their exploitation of the natural
environment, such as water, air, and biodiversity
b. Incorporation of an externality into the market decision making process through
pricing or regulatory interventions. In the narrow sense, internalization is
achieved by charging polluters with the damage costs of the pollution generated
by them, in accordance with the polluters pays principle
32. Jerry can:
a. big ol 5 gallon jug of water, really damn heavy and some people have to carry
them for miles and miles just to have water at home.
32. Killer assumptionsa. assumptions that kill your project before its completion. I.E. desal in Santa Cruz
and assuming the population would be willing to accept it.
32. LEED certification a. rating system offers four certification levels for new construction (certified, silver,
gold and platinum) that corresponds to the number of credits accrued in five
green design categories: sustainable sites, water efficiency, energy and
atmosphere, materials and resources and indoor environmental quality.
32. Life-cycle analysis - Lab 3
a. is the systematic approach of looking at a products complete life cycle, from raw
materials to final disposal of the product. it offers a cradle to grave look at a
product or process, considering environmental aspects and potential impacts.
32. Lifestyle change vs. social change
a. Lifestyle Change: 1 person not collectively a whole group, who has decided to
change ( in this case becoming greener) [ie a person stops smoking because
they think its bad for their health]
b. Social Change: may refer to the notion of social progress or socio-cultural
evolution; Social change may be driven by cultural, religious, economic, scientific
or technological forces on a larger scale.[ ie. when someone smokes everybody
now thinks its gross because there was a social campaign that has convinced
many that is disgusting to smoke]
32. Loch Lomond:

a. appears to be a recreational lake in Santa Cruz county, and provides fish

stocking as well as boating opportunities. Also provides water to SC county
b. The City of Santa Cruz diverts its water from higher in the San Lorenzo River to
Loch Lomond
32. Material flow analysis (in urban environments):
a. analyzing the movement of materials/resources through whatever system is in
question. I.E. water, energy, and resources through the city of Santa Cruz
32. Molecular gastronomy: Molecular Gastronomy 10/19 Quiz 4
a. an approach to sustainable foods by breaking down foods to their molecules and
recombining them to make them similar to whole foods. Notable contributor:
Herv This
62. Natural gas
a. mostly methane, slightly better than fossil fuel when it comes to emitting carbon
but less efficient
62. Numeracy
a. the ability to understand and work with numbers; the literacy of numbers
62. Payback ratio-Economic analysis in individual project selection 10/7
a. the amount of time it takes to return initial investment (ex: solar panels payback
period is generally a few years)
b. Internal rate of return and net present value metrics
c. Tells us how long it takes for cumulative cash flows generated by an investment
to cover the upfront capital costs of a project
62. Perceived obsolescence a. when a customer is convinced that they need to update a product when the
existing product is working fine. examples: technologies like i-phones, computers
or different clothings (unfashionable/unfunctional)after a certain period of time ex:
Apple , GUCCI!! BURR
b. The making of a product that does out of fashion or date so you buy a slightly
different one although you product works perfectly
66. Post-carbon: Nine Challenges to Alternative Energy 11/16
a. Post Carbon Institute is a think tank which provides information and analysis on
climate change, energy scarcity, and other issues related to sustainability and
long term social resilience.
67. Production (in relation to consumption):
a. Providing the goods & services needed to sustain a society
b. Operations of modern economic systems that require constant growth, increased
exploitation of resources and environmental degradation
67. Renewable energy:
a. energy that comes from resources which are continually replenished on a human
timescale such as sunlight, wind, rain, tides, waves and geothermal heat
67. Risk (of environmental disasters)
a. the probability of a natural hazard happening, (defined from someone in
ENVS172)
b.
67. Soft energy path

a. The low hanging fruit when it comes to making things energy efficient
b. Ex. switching out incandescent light bulbs for LED, no need for infrastructural
change to it, it won't disrupt your life or your budget
67. Steady-state economy:
a. Regards Earth as closed system (except for solar energy); Inputs-outputs
cannot exceed sustainable material-energy flows
b. Characterized by constant population, capital stock and rate of material/energy
throughout such that there is a sustainable equilibrium between human activities
and the environment
67. Stocks a. represents a claim on part of the corporation's assets and earnings.

b. a quantity measured at a specific time (vs. over time like flow)

67. Substitutability of energy sources- Sustainability as a Social Project 9/25

a. The problem that many alternative energies don't easily fit right into the
current energy system and its infrastructure (e.g., electric vehicles have
their own set of needs that aren't provided for in our usual gasolinepowered automobile service stations and parking facilities) is called:
(taken from weekly quiz)
b. Energy sources that can be substituted for alternatives, embedded energy
is a stock of various materials with specific properties to flow into the
building as electricity, natural gas food, people and other materials
67. Sustainability a. the capacity to endure: how biological systems remain diverse and productive
indefinitely. Long-lived and healthy wetland and forests are examples of
sustainable biological systems.
b. The ability to meet current human needs without compromising the ability of
future generations to meet their own
67. SWOT analysis:
a. Strengths:
b. Weaknesses:
c. Opportunities:
d. Threats:
67. Technological fix:
a. The likelihood that research and development solutions will work on a problem.
(3 Rules: 1-Technology must act within the cause-effect relationship of the
problem, 2-Effect of technology fix must be accessible with relatively
unambiguous, uncontroversial criteria, and 3- R&D focuses on improving a
standardized technical core that already exists). refers to the attempt of using
engineering or technology to solve a problem
67. Thermodynamic matching (of energy)
67. Transit-oriented development
a. Transit that is developed according to high concentrations of people that live in a
region.
67. Transportation Demand Management:
a. is the application of strategies and policies to reduce travel demand (specifically
that of single-occupancy private vehicles), or to redistribute this demand in space
or in time
67. Treadmill of production:
a. the phenomenon of endless growth under capitalism

b. Operation of modern economic systems that requires constant growth, which

causes increased exploitation of resources and environmental degradation
67. Triangulation (of data): Evaluation Information 10/5
a. To obtain an efficient corroboration of any crucial account, try to triangulate
between different sources, obtain data from different perspectives.
b. Any geographical area could be mapped by selecting trig points which
measured the distance apart and then record any other point in terms of the
angle subtended
c. The main test to interpreting and weeding out the distortions of the untruths
using a criteria that followed: validity, reliability, and accuracy.
d. Form quiz 2: You find out through a survey that 50% of students dislike responding to
surveys. When looking through peer-reviewed articles, you find the same (51%) for a
study done at Winston Salem State University in North Carolina and at Prescott College
(49.5%) in Arizona. You have thus determined that half of college students dislike
responding to surveys by the method of:

67. Urban metabolism: Rethinking Urban Metabolism 10/12

a. refers to the exchange processes whereby cities transform raw materials, energy,
and water into the built environment, human biomass, and waste
b. interweaving of social and biophysical process that produce new urban or
metropolitan nature in distinction to the rarefied realm of nature which remains
dominant within much urban environmentalist discourse
67. Urban planning (esp. green cities):
a. is a technical and political process concerned with the control of the use of land
and design of the urban environment, including transportation networks, to guide
and ensure the orderly development of settlements and communities. It concerns
itself with research and analysis, strategic thinking, architecture, urban design,
public consultation, policy recommendations, implementation and management
67. Vertical integration in the food system:
a. One company owning entire supply chain
b. Example: manufacturing, processing, storing, packaging, distributing
c. In farming, large corporations keep the profit portions (packaging, transporting,
etc) of the system without taking the risk by contracting farmers to maintain the
risk (from the actual crop or livestock production)
d. Involves expanding the domain of the organization into supply channels or to
distributors; generally used to eliminate uncertainties and reduces costs
associated with suppliers or distributors
67. Virtual (or embedded) water: Global Water Crisis and Future Food Security 10/21
1. Describes water used to produce the crop and livestock products that are traded
in international markets
1. addresses resource endowments but does not address production
technologies or opportunity costs of trade
ii.
water used by consumer through the array of products purchased and their
manufacturing water usage. I.E. the water someone used by buying a sandwich
or drink with it.
iii.
silent alternative for water-scarce countries as it is being used as an instrument
to achieve water security as the importance for food security increases
1. Ex: Cereals largest share in total virtual water trade is 78% of annual
crop-related virtual water
b. Water footprint: Water Footprint Calculator 10/30

i.

The water footprint is the volume of water needed for the production of the goods
and services consumed by the inhabitants.
ii.
Amount of water you consume in daily life, including the water used to grow the
food you eat, produce the energy you use and for all the products in your daily
life- books, music, house, car, furniture and all the clothes you wear
b. Zero-waste - Zero Waste Index 11/25
i.
is a philosophy that encourages the redesign of resource life-cycles so that all
products are reused. No trash is sent to landfills and incinerators. The process
recommended is one similar to the way that resources are reused in nature.
ii.
Cradle to Cradle approach
iii.
No such thing as waste, merely transformation. visionary concept for solving
waste problems
iv.
Designing and managing products and processes systematically to avoid and
eliminate waste and to recover all resources from the waste stream aka no
unnecessary and unwanted waste from a product in any stage of its life cycle

Medium-length questions
1. What is the relationship between water and energy in California? Describe two ways they
are interrelated and why that relationship is so important in this state. CA Water Distribution
10/26

Theyre interrelated because 1) it requires energy to purify, heat, and transport water and 2) we utilize steam
for electricity generation. Water is also used to cool down equipment in a power generation system. We also
utilize water to maintain other sources of sustainable energy. (ie. washing solar panels)
This relationship is important in our state because the less water we have the less we can exploit it for
energy.
Because we heat our water, we waste energy.
This state has a lot of agricultural activity which needs water to sustain it. This leads to a greater need of
water plus the high energy needed to run California but we are in a drought.
Pumping/generating plants move water uphill into storage basins when electricity costs are low (off-peak
hours) then generate power by releasing the same water through turbines during peak energy demand
periods

2. What are three defining features of mobility in general? What is automobility in particular?
How has it shaped US cities? How does it make sustainable transportation a more challenging
problem? Hypermobility 11/2

Three defining features are 1) affordability 2) no limitations 3) convenience

Automobility is the ability to go where you want when you want (usually in a car)
It has made US cities require the usage of some form of automobile in order to go buy
living supplies or commute to work because it would be too inconvenient to walk there.

In the US, it has a considerable impact on the social organization of social life and public
health, urban areas combined with dominance of auto connectivity, promotes a more
privatized and individualized community life
Made urban sprawl possible.
It makes sustainable transportation more of a challenge because if a mode of
transportation is too expensive, inconvenient (hard to get to a very specific place), or not
comfortable enough, people wont want to use it.
Because of the defining mobility features a car holds, sustainable transportation is not
the most viable choice
Growing efforts to control further development (smart growth or transit-orientated)
provides an opening for a more comprehensive and analytical critique of
hyperautomobility and promote sustainable transportation
Sustainable transport must go beyond the environment by use of renewable and lesspolluting energies, broadly amenable to technological resolutions.
o Impacts the environment but is also a SOCIAL problem less amenable to
technological fixes

3. Why is sustainability a social project that requires both social and technological
approaches? Give two examples from class this quarter to fully illustrate your answer.
Sustainability as a social project 9/25

Definition of social project (from the 9-25 reading in week 1 folder): A social project
is a complex assemblage of things, institutions, beliefs and practices and people
organized and operated to meet a particular human need or demand.
It requires social approaches because we (as communities) need to raise awareness for
how much of an impact can be made towards the environment . It requires technological
approaches because we need to create sustainable ways of making energy.
2. The production of biofuels requires technological approaches for its development. It
also requires the addressment of social issues that can come from crops being diverted
from food production
3. Solutions for sustainable transportation are based on technological approaches but
require the addressment of social issues such as the health, security and acceptance by
the community. The solutions should also be affordable and reach people with low
incomes (social justice) Hyperautomobility

4. Use the article by Suh on integrated rice-duck farming as a guide to conduct a SWOT
analysis on Growing Power's fish-vegetable greenhouse system in Milwaukee.

S (Strength) - representation of people from diverse backgrounds, increased food

access and security for lower-income individuals, education for all, sustainable
permaculture design that creates somewhat of a closed loop of energy.; soil treatment
with worms, Composts more than 6 million pounds of food waste a year going into
worms; variety of crops, Fights food racism, integrated fish production, natural water
recycling for aquaponic systems
W (Weakness) - lack of certification (such as CCOF) might turn people away, doesnt
produce as much, a regular supermarket might be able to provide more and for a

cheaper price (or in terms of processed foods). Need to control fish feeding and water
temperature in tanks with Tilapia
O (opportunities) - employ local community, establish partnership with nearby stores,
reduce the communitys indirect GHG emissions related to buying food (shorter trips,
sustainable production), improve population health and welfare, provides fresh food to
create more than a society but a sustainable, healthy diet, Learn to grow own
garden/food
T (threats) - water contamination can compromise the system; dependency on one
system to do multiple jobs - failure in one could result in failure of the entire system.
Furthermore, this could pose as a threat to larger businesses who are doing the same
job and might want to drive Growing Power out. Lack of expansion as the dependence
for growing power is engulfed in the community, lack of community involvement to
sustain growing power

5. What are three ways that energy is used in agriculture? How does the amount of energy we
put into the modern US food system compare with the amount of energy we get out? Is this a
problem? Why or why not? Energy Use in the US food System 10/19
3 ways energy is used: (1) Energy to transport food around the world (2) Food
processing (3) Preparation and storage of food
Were putting way more energy into producing, processing, shipping, transporting,
packaging, modifying, etc our food and we are not getting enough energy out of it.
Why this is a problem: If energy prices rise, the cost of food will rise as well, resulting in
increased hunger worldwide. We are a growing population and if we grow exponentially
faster than we can produce food, food shortage and famine will increase exponentially
as well
6. Does the UCSC campus reflect the demands of automobility? How so or how not? What are
three TDM (transportation demand management) strategies being used at UCSC?
No, the UCSC campus does not reflect the demands of automobility, although many cars
coming to campus are still SOVs. Public transportation such as bus accessibility is
convenient and on average efficient. Infrastructure and programs are in place that
encourage staff and students to use their bike and there are locations on campus cars
cannot reach. The green belt around the city of santa cruz makes walking a feasible
transit option. Shared vehicles such as uber and zipcar lessen car demand, parking
spaces are overpriced and not convenient, free access to buses encourage students to
use public transportation
7. Why aren't large-scale solar farms a simple solution to sustainable energy production?
Describe three reasons, including both physical and social issues. What is one potential
alternative to the current large-scale solar farms?
space- especially competition with food production, is one big reason solar is not a
solution to energy production. The sun doesnt always shine so the source can be
inconsistent, and there are no efficient ways of storing all of the solar energy harvested
currently, some energy is still lost. Solar is expensive to install and takes many years for
the ROI to balance out. Solar energy is abundant and sustainable but it is not the most
efficient form of energy (remember that fossil fuels are the most efficient).

Solar farms also pose a threat to local wildlife (birds killing and occupancy of
habitats). One alternative would be to put these solar farms on land that is
infertile (but deserts are considered habitats!)
o Solar farms being mapped on significant collections of Native America
geoglyphs, solar farms killing off national treasure, socially when this renewable
energy isnt consulting tribes seriously- also social issue of how expensive they
are (not accessible for people of all economic backgrounds)
o Solar panels, (especially on a large scale) use a tremendous amount of rare
metals that must be mined over seas, these mines cause catastrophic damage to
the environment with runoff and create other social/ environmental problems..
One alternative can be seen in India where PV panels are located over canals, reducing
water evaporation
o

8. Patrick Testoni said there are two overarching approaches to reducing C emissions. What are
those two ways? For each, give a specific example of how UCSC is working to reduce C
emissions. What is one strategy in the article by Benayas et al. that you think we should try
here? Impact of universities on climate change progress

Overarching approaches to reducing C emissions: (1) Reducing Demand [through

energy-efficient projects and transportation improvements] (2) Clean Up Our Supply
[having flexibility in the fuels we buy, procure clean energy through pv and wind, procure
clean fuels through biogas].

Two ways UCSC is working on this: (1) Reducing Demand - Demand controlled
ventilation in JBaskin Auditorium, atrium lights triggered when people are in the room. (2)
Cleaning Up Our Supply - An on-site renewable power system, using solar PV panels on
top of McHenry library as a renewable source of energy.

Some strategies in the Benayas article we could try: A solar heating installation in the
swimming pool, use of electric campus vehicles, etc. Substitution of public lighting
sodium/mercury vapor to LED

9. What are two factors that UCSC has to consider in determining how to supply water to
campus over the long-term? How does UCSC's water use fit in the overall Santa Cruz
city use? How does the city's water supply differ from other places in California and why does
this matter to local conservation efforts?
2 factors: more occurrences of water shortages, increasing campus population
UCSCs water usage is 6% of the citys usage
The citys water comes from the San Lorenzo River (47%), North Coast Streams (32%),
the Loch Lomond Reservoir (17%), and Live Oak Wells (4%)
It differs from most other places like the southern California region that gets its water
from the Colorado River and State Water Project.
This matters to local conservation efforts because we use no imported water. Our usage
is entirely dependent on rainfall, runoff, and groundwater infiltration
10. Early on we talked about reference framing and communicating risk, using Ebola as an
example. Now apply reference framing to one of California's water sustainability problems.

Briefly describe the problem, how it is presented, and how changing the reference framing could
change the perception of risk. Also give two reasons California citizens might have trouble
understanding the risk.
If I remember correctly, we used ebola as an example of propaganda. Im not completely sure
how this ties in with Californias water sustainability. Californian citizens may not understand the
risk because they are uninformed? Maybe it relates to how we discussed invisible water in that
Californians may be too focused on taking shorter showers and watering less that they dont
realize that eating one beef patty uses an extraordinary amount of water in production.
Water in California is a very limited resource which is being affected by more intense droughts.
The problem is presented as a reduction in rains and runoffs from melting ice (main source for
water in the State), resulting in lower levels in reservoirs. Currently, much of the propaganda is
related to community reducing its consumption and saving whenever possible. That reference
framing can change the perception of risk of greater water shortages because not much is told
about industry and especially agricultural consumption, which is the main user of water in the
State. In that way, California citizens might have trouble understanding the risk due to a lack of
precise information (i.e. how much water we should save, perspective for the future at current
levels of consumption) and the way that information is shown (i.e. community is warned about
reduced water availability, but not much is told about effects on ecosystems and indirect effects
that can come from water shortages).
does anyone remember which lecture this was from?
10/05 lecture 4
11. What are the three main contenders (generally speaking) for water in California and
how do their demands vary in wet vs. dry years? On a state-wide basis, which of these three
presents the greatest potential for improving water savings, that is, where should we direct our
efforts for the greatest gain?
Environment, agriculture and urban. Environmental water demand oscillates the most
between wet and dry years trying to maintain the consumption patterns of agricultural
and urban users.
Agriculture presents the greatest potential for improving water savings, especially in
irrigation. According to Jeffrey Mount at UC Davis Center for Watershed Sciences,
agriculture gets 62% of total state water (22% for the environment and 16% for urban
needs)
12. Is this a picture of planned obsolescence or perceived obsolescence? Why? How is the
desire for goods and consumption created? Why does this matter for sustainability?

This is an example of perceived obsolescence because it demonstrates how society has

a need to keep up a certain modern aesthetic, and this can be achieved by purchasing
newer sleeker models of things.
The desire for this is created by advertisements like these which seek to show how ones
current phone/item of clothing/etc is not trendy/unfashionable/out-of-date when really it
still works perfectly well.
The desire for goods and consumption is created by advertisements and corporations, in
the fast fashion article it describes the sale of clothing in a way that represents low
quality, low price, and a short lived product. This does not work well for sustainability
because whether its clothing or any other cheap product, the act of rapidly buying and
discarding does not promote less waste.
13. What are three key principles of green building, as described by Lockwood? Why do
occupants matter when we look at green building? Do Lockwood's principles take into
account occupants? Give two examples. Building the Green way 10/14
Three key principles:
1. Choosing a sustainable site
1. Cant be constructed on prime farmland, parkland, historic or prehistoric site,
habitat of an endangered species, or within 100 feet of wetlands
b. Focus on the big picture
1. Managing each planning decisions effect on the overall project.
b. Do the math
1. Apply a cost/benefit analysis to each component before allocating funding
________________________________________________________________________
1. Creation of reliable building-rating and performance measurement systems for new
construction and renovations changing corporate perception of going green

1. LEED(Leadership in energy and environmental design)L evaluates buildings and

awards points in six areas: innovation, design process etc. Certified, silver, gold
and platinum award levels.
2. Certification allows prospective buyers and tenants that a building is truly
sustainable
b. Well-designed green buildings, have lower utility cost.
1. Ex: Genzyme: 12 story LEED platinum headquarters in Cambridge, MA used
42% less energy and 34% less water than standard buildings of comparable size.
2. Green building can also promote employee productivity, by using materials that
dont emit toxins that are found in standard building materials
b. Green building materials, mechanical systems and furnishings have become more
widely available, prices have dropped, in some cases below competitors
1. It only costs about 0.8% more to achieve basic LEED certification that construct a
standard building
Why occupants matter:
o Green building: less overhead cost, greater employee productivity, less
absenteeism and stronger employee attraction and retention
o Green design criteria: abundant daylighting, individual climate controls, outdoor
views (raise morale and employee satisfaction, improving productivity)
o Occupants matter because much of the energy and resource usage inside a
building is directly related to occupants behaviours and habits (such as
temperature adjustments, food preparation, shower times, acquisition and flux of
goods)
Do Lockwood's principles take into account occupants? Give two examples.
o Some principles are related to occupants. For example, in designing for greater
green, Lockwood suggests a long and narrow building shape to maximize natural
lighting and ventilation for workers. He also proposes waterless urinals for water
conservation. The author reproduces a study in which green design, building
materials, and technology improve air quality and health of workers, increasing
their productivity.
14. What is a zero-waste city? By when does UCSC need to become a zero-waste campus?
What are two major challenges UCSC faces in moving towards becoming a zero-waste
campus? What is one method UCSC is already using to tackle the zero-waste challenge?
A zero-waste city is one that has no total waste because all potential waste is diverted
from disposal at permitted landfills and transformation facilities such as incineration and
is instead directed to reduction, reuse, recycling and composting programs.
We need to be zero-waste by 2020.
Two major challenges: financial & student support?
Two major challenges: effective gathering, analysis and reporting of waste diversion
data; users behaviours (especially the correct disposal of waste)

They are making a recycling waste plant on campus, only in the beginning stages, also
student outreach to get people to recycle and compost more.
Each dining hall has a compactor for collecting food scraps, which Grounds Services
collects and hauls to the industrial composting facility at the Monterey Regional Waste
Management District, located in Marina, CA, where it is processed into certified-organic
soil
Zero-waste events and education to increase campus participation in the program

Energy analysis
Imagine that you were asked to make an evidence-based recommendation about the following
policy option: Should the city of Santa Cruz and the Coastal Commission allow algal production
for energy (using the OMEGA system) in Monterey Bay by the Municipal Wharf?
1. List the strengths and weaknesses that should be considered to make this decision.
Strengths: Provides a renewable resource that has low carbon intensity and is more
potent than other biofuels. Boosts local ecosystems by providing habitat.
Weaknesses: Takes up ocean space which could have adverse effects on marine life (or
some marine life could eat the algae even- freshwater algae that is separated by a
plastic film) as well as lowering aesthetic and recreational value of the water space it
uses. SC is a tourist attraction and having this in place will limit/ endanger the city's
biggest economic stimulus, Currents may be too intense for the OMEGA structure in this
location. Also shading vital ecosystems in the Bay.
2. What two metrics would you need to see from Jonathan Trent to fully make your decision,
and how would you suggest he collect data for each of those two metrics?
A per unit energy output would give good insight, thus requiring Trent to see how much
energy a gallon (assumed to be the standard metric) of biomass would yield as well as how
much energy was required to make said gallon of biomass.
3. Write a paragraph explaining your overall recommendation to the city. Your explanation
should reference the factors included in your lists.

Article evaluation
1. What is the main point of the article Going Green but Getting Nowhere by Gernot
Wagner?
1. Individual actions cannot incite change, only economic policies that force us to
take accountability of our pollution will work. Attempts to make people interested
and excited about saving the planet wont have as big of an impact as these
policies could have.
2. What are the strengths and weaknesses of the article? In the end, do you agree with him
(up to yall but it would be great to here a few opinions here!)?
a. Strengths: It encourages community building
b. Strength: policy is the most effective way to make a social change toward being
more green. Especially because industry has the largest environmental impact
(most subject to policy)
c. Weaknesses: what will the limit be and what about people who will not be able to
afford this new charge? we will be forced to put a number on everything and
value it according to the number.
i.
If people dont know anything about why we need new economic policies
then they wont support the policies/vote for them, which is why its

important to raise awareness to people who could possibly make that

change.
3. Use at least two specific examples from class to make your argument.
a. For:
b. Against:

Calculation & data interpretation

The BMW i3 is an electric car that can travel about 80 miles at highway speed on a charge of
its lithium-ion battery, which can store about 22 kWh.
How many kWh per mile does the i3 use?
22 kWh / 80 miles = 0.275 kWh per mile
A Toyota Corolla gets up to 28 miles per gallon (MPG) in the city and 37 MPG on the highway,
so let's say an average for combined city and highway use, it gets 33 MPG. Gasoline has an
energy density of 115,000 Btu per gallon, and 3412 Btu = 1 kWh.
How many kWh per mile does the Corolla use? How does the energy use compare between the
i3 and the Corolla?
1 gallon = 115,000 Btu, 115,000 Btu / 33 MPG = 3,484.85 Btu per mile = 1.02 kWh per mile
So the i3 goes about 4 times further with the same amount of energy as the Corolla
Why doesn't everyone use an i3? First, describe why not in terms of energy content per unit
weight, comparing the weight of gasoline (8 lbs per gallon) and lithium ion batteries (450 lbs in
the i3).
storing it can be more bulky and expensive due to the weight.
Furthermore, the refueling time for EVs is much slower.
Second, describe in terms of practicality as presented in a paper by Pearre et al. (2011) (the
paper is located under Resources, and I will provide a copy of the following figure). The
authors' central question was, Are battery range limitations compatible with our gasoline
enabled driving habits? To determine this, they tracked total daily distance driven for vehicles
near Atlanta, GA. Figure 3 shows the maximum daily mileage in 50mile bins (050 miles, 50100
miles, etc.) for 363 vehicles. Would the i3 meet consumer needs, given its current travel
capacity per charge?

A large fraction of the fleet looks like they have a travel capacity of anywhere from
100~200 miles whereas the i3 can only travel 80m/charge. Therefore it would not meet
consumer needs given its current capacity